St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-09-29
ST. JoHNsBURY's CONTRIBUTIONS
To the Missionary Cause.


The meeting of the Vermont branch
of the Woman's Board of Missions here
yesterday brings to mind the fact that
st. Jonnsuury is d large contributor to
the cause of home and foreign mis-
siOns. 1t is we'll, too, not to lose sight
of the fact that while IA large proper
ton of the amount contributed comes
from two of the churches in the place,
the churches of other denominations
give fully as much and in some instan-
ces more in proportion to their num-
bers and ability to the cause of mis-
sions.
The cash contributions of the North
and South Congregational churches,
and the Baptist, Free Baptist, Metho-
dist and Presbyterian churches to the
cause of missions aggregate in round
numbers $l2500 annually. Fully a
sixth part of this amount is the direct
result of wOman's work, raised by
about 25 of their organizations indie
pendent of the regular means of con-
tributing through church collection
channels. The North church has the
Woman's Missionary society with an
nual gifts of cash and clothing of $3.50;
the WOman's Foreign Missionary So
ciety, auxiliary to the Woman's Board
with annual contributions of $3.50 the
Misses circle, $55; the Girls Missiona-
ry society, $50; the Boys Missionary
society, $40; the Young Ladies' Mis-
siOnary society, a union society of the
North and South churches, $50.
In the South church is the Auxiliary
of the Woman's Board with member
ship of 100 and annual contributions of
1888; the Mission Maids of Caledonia,
$2lO; the Little Helpers, $I7; the
Boys Missionary society, $43; Home
Missionary society, $I43; the Ladies'
Aid, $2I7. Besides the above each of
the North and South churches have
regular contributions to the cause of
missions which brings the amount up
o over Sll50O.
The Free Baptist church while
smaller in numbers is not at all behind
in missionary zeal. There is i'm this
| church a Woman's Missionary society
that raises $50 annually toward the
support of IL lady missionary in India
and besides this the church has a sys-
tenn in operation to raise mission fund 8
in general way by pledging as many
as possible to contribute two cents a
week for the cause and through this
plan $50 year is raised. Other meth
DDS are adopted in this church. to keep
alive interest in missions and to raise
funds for the purpose.
In the Methodist church the Sunday
school is organized into a missionary
society raising some $50 or more an
nually; there is an auxiliary of the
WOman's Foreign Missionary society
and another of the WOman's Home
Missionary society and also a society
of Ruth's Children which, with the
church contributions for the Missionary
society of the Methodist church of $145
and for the Board of church extension
brought the total up to about $3.50 last
year, and the church confidently ex-
poets to do more than that the present
year.
The Baptist church on Railroad
street gives for Bible distribution $l2
for Missionary children SIS; raises
through it's Young Ladies' Mission
band nearly 500; through it's Ladies
Mission society $40, and by it's churcl
contributions about $1l5 a total O.
over $3.50 annually, large sum for I
small church.
These figures are not exact. They
only represent hurried summary oil
the work going on here and give no re-
port of the individual contributions in
the smaller churches nor of the mis-
siOnary "boxes" that are frequently
made up in all the churches and are
often very valuable.